The United States Government Shutdown

So far tying the world record for the longest government shutdown

Hailey Fox, Editor

January 11, 2019

Stretching in to the 3rd week, Donald J.Trump is about to break the world record for the longest government shutdown in The United States history. On December 22, 2019, the government shut down with no end in sight. Donald J. Trump has shutdown the government down over funding for his “Anti Migration” wall. On the 18th day of the shutdown, Donald Trump finally spoke out to the press, “The federal government remains shutdown for one reason, and one reason only: because democrats will not fund border security.” . This tells us that we don’t know when this will end. The President stated, “America proudly welcomes millions of lawful immigrants who enrich our society and contribute to our nation, but all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages”.

On January 9th there was a meeting with Congress members Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi to address the shutdown. But on that day Schumer said Donald Trump “Again had a temper tantrum” and is “unbecoming of a presidency”. Schumer says he asked Trump “why won’t you open the government and stop hurting people?” and Trump responded with “Because then you won’t give me what I want”. Trump also claims said that “some parts of the government could stay closed for months or even years if he does not see his demands met”.

This shutdown has left 380,000 people on leave and 450,000 working without pay. “More than 50,000 people are employed by the agency and won’t get paid until the federal government reopens,” the Verge says. Many TSA members are fed up, they are quitting and calling in sick since they are only working for free. This problem has the public asking questions like, what would happen if TSA workers just decided to stop coming into work until the shutdown ends? Would airports cease travel? Would they just stop screening people? Former Benicia Middle School student, Izabela Tringali, who is now a intern for Senator Brown of Ohio, stated, “This prolonged government shutdown is having a profoundly negative impact on thousands of federal employees – not just staff and interns on Capitol Hill – but caseworkers and employees all over the country who are unable to work or are being forced to work without pay. We are all hoping an agreement can be reached soon so Congress can resume daily tasks and everyone can go back to work.”

This needs to stop. The people in power can’t keep abusing their power to get what they want. The United States cannot be controlled when the government is shutdown. The United States is a place where people are supposed to feel comfortable and safe, but also give people opportunities. Building a wall will not hide the fact that this country is still pushing out people that just want a better life. The United States is a country full of immigrants, and freedom is an important part of who we are, and what we stand for.